


The She-Wolf

by Archaeologyfiend



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe, Book cannon, But he's only a baby, Greyjoy Rebellion, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Lyanna Stark Lives, Now a Three shot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, R Plus L Equals J, Two Shot, Very little from the show guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-07 14:49:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16410518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archaeologyfiend/pseuds/Archaeologyfiend
Summary: Lyanna Stark lives to show Robert why one should never anger a she-wolf with a newborn cub. And to never touch those she considers family.And the seven help anyone who will belittle her little son.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a two-shot, so this is only part 1. Part 2 will be Winterfell and what happened to Daenerys, Viserys and Rhaella.
> 
> A minor note- I take mostly from the books (hence why three Kingsguard, rather than poor missing out Gerold Hightower), but Part 2 I may or may not take a bit from the show. It will depend, but if not then I'll probably remove the GoT TV tag.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyanna lives and so do the Targaryen children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a two-shot, so this is only part 1. Part 2 will be Winterfell and what happened to Daenerys, Viserys and Rhaella. A minor note- I take mostly from the books (hence why in ASoIaF) but Part 2 may or may not take a bit from the show, just as a warning.

The raven that arrived the morning that Jaime Lannister did brought more dark news. _Dark wings, Dark words_ her father had once told her, over and over until it had become ingrained. And with this war, she found she could attest to that. The young Lannister had a face streaked with dirt, pale despite the sun’s harsh rays having caused his flesh to redden and peel. He near collapsed, water depleted and given to the tiny girl clutching his robes. The babe in his arms still screamed for a mother that was never coming back. As did the babe in her belly, rolling with the nausea in her stomach as she read Ned’s words.

_Rhaegar is dead. Release my sister._ The words were not Ned’s though, she knew that much. They were Robert’s in truth, written in her brother’s hand from his wounds. Would Robert live too? Why was Jaime here, when Arthur had stated he had been ordered to protect those in King’s Landing? Lyanna had thought it a cruel task to give a boy of six and ten, a task daunting even to the Sword of the Morning. And yet, here he was, doing the best he could.

“Arthur, give the boy some water,” Lyanna ordered, taking the baby Aegon and little Rhaenys into her arms, kissing the little girl’s head as she burst into tears. “It will be alright, little one. Get them something to eat would you, Wylla?” she asked the wet-nurse as Arthur hauled his fellow Kingsguard to his feet and dragged him to a chair. The young maidservant nodded, rushing to bring water and food for their three new guests. Rhaenys fussed only a little in the stranger’s arms- she was crying too hard and too relieved to have found some relative safety to care too much.

“What happened?” Arthur asked Lannister when he had drunk some water. Lyanna thanked the gods that she was near enough to her time to provide some sustenance for the young babe. How Jaime had managed the journey she didn’t know, and she was amazed the child had survived. True, he would soon be old enough for solids, but he was also still in need of mother’s milk, all the more considering how small he seemed now, according to Wylla. She knew more than Lyanna- it was why Ashara had given her to Lyanna after all, considering Lyanna’s lack of a female role model after her own mother’s death and being surrounded by brothers.

“A-a letter,” Jaime coughed, still reaching for the water. “Prince Rhaegar sent a letter before the battle, to get his family out of the city after… after he heard.” More coughing and Lyanna exchanged glances with Arthur. “The King… he has plans… if Rhaegar were to fall, the city would go with him.” Lyanna swallowed the terror threatening to rise as Arthur, face pale, squeezed the young boy’s shoulder.

“What happened to Princess Elia?” he asked. “How did you get here?”

“I nearly didn’t,” Jaime half sobbed. “She stayed behind. Insisted as we were nearly caught. Varys wanted Aegon for something… I never found out what, she gave him to me and had us smuggled out through the tunnels.” Jaime swiped tears from his eyes furiously, swallowed and continued after another gulp of water. “There was a wet-nurse, but we were beset by the Dornish. They thought… my father has killed the king. They didn’t believe I was helping the children. They killed her and the horses three days ago… I barely got away with them.”

“Jaime gave us water,” Rhaenys piped up and Lyanna brushed dark curls out of her violet eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. No wonder he was dehydrated. He must have given all his own resources to keep the children alive.

“Why come here then?” Arthur asked, gentler now. Jaime shrugged.

“I didn’t know where else to go. I knew you were here somewhere… and going to Sunspear would have been suicide after that attack.” Lyanna nodded, rising with some difficulty.

“You were brave, Ser Jaime,” she said, squeezing her arm as she had done to her younger brother many times. Jaime was braver than Benjen to have made it here so intact. From the blood, she thanked the gods that he was good with the sword. “They would not be alive otherwise. Get some rest.” She gently rocked Aegon in her arms, wondering if her own child would look like him. They would have to leave but… she placed one hand on the swell of her stomach. It wouldn’t be long now and what would happen if the babe were to come halfway between here and Starfall? They couldn’t go south- it would appear that the Martells had made that clear and staying here would either lead to them all being killed, the children stolen and controlled, or Robert finding them if he had gotten away unscathed. Arthur seemed to be thinking the same.

“One moment, Jaime. Before you left, what news of the Trident? The raven only arrived as you did. All we know is that Rhaegar is dead, and now Aerys from your story.” Jaime, held in the night’s grip since he had wobbled worryingly on his way out, blinked and stared up at Arthur a moment.

“Yes, Rhaegar is dead but he wounded Robert as well. Last I heard, Baratheon was in a bad way and the Lord Stark was riding south to raise the siege at Storm’s End.” Lyanna nodded and let Arthur lead him away, tucking the little Rhaenys into her own bed next to her brother as the pair had fallen asleep. It didn’t matter that is was the middle of the day- they had had a long and exhausting journey. Now all she needed to do was figure out what they could do.

Lyanna sat by the window, fruitlessly rubbing her stomach as if that would soothe the child. It was almost as if it could sense the turmoil around it. They had left a letter in Father’s solar- he knew what had happened, but Brandon had gone ahead and been an idiot, as usual, and then Robert had followed after… Rhaegar had held her while she grieved for her brother and father, murmuring how Rickard had been strong, even in the face of death. She allowed herself a small moment to grieve her now late husband’s death and more than like, good-sister too. It didn’t matter that she had met Elia once as she and Rhaegar made their vows. Elia was a good and kind woman, who had graciously accepted Rhaegar’s words, warned Lyanna of some of Rhaegar’s oddities and hugged her tight as they were separated.

“I’ll see you when this is all over, good-sister,” she had said with a smile. “I cannot wait to meet our new son or daughter.” Lyanna let out a half-sob-half-laugh at the reminder of those words. Unlike Rhaegar, Elia had never tried to tell her the gender of the child- in fact in their letters, Elia had stated it was more than likely a boy from the strong movements Lyanna had described and the fact that she had so many brothers. _If Rhaegar wants a Visenya, I believe he ought to have taken a wife with sisters, not brothers_ her last letter had said and Lyanna could imagine her laughing as she wrote it. She knew that she had when she read it.

_But what to do now? I have four of the Kingsguard with me and the other royal children. If Aerys is dead, Aegon is the new king but he has not yet reached a single summer. We cannot leave, for fear this new child will come early as Wylla suspects but we are sandwiched between the anger of the Martells and Robert’s fury._ Lyanna’s thoughts were not helping as she stared out into the red sands of Dorne. Six moons they had been here already, and she didn’t know anymore if she would live to see her seventeenth name day. _But if we don’t leave, we are vulnerable to whoever finds us. And we don’t even have enough horses to get us to Starfall… Starfall. I wonder._ Lyanna swallowed and narrowed her eyes. If Robert was wounded and Tywin Lannister in King’s Landing, the only person able to come get them was Ned. And if she could get to Starfall, she might be able to get a letter to him through Ashara. The knock at the door was somewhat welcome, considering what she needed. It opened to reveal Ser Gerold Hightower, face grave.

“I heard…” he trailed off as he spotted the children asleep on the bed. Lyanna had tucked the covers over Rhaenys and swaddled Aegon properly after cleaning him with Wylla’s help earlier.

“Ser Gerold, how long will it take to get to Starfall by carriage?” she asked. The Lord Commander blinked and stared at her a moment.

“Your Grace?” he asked, flummoxed.

“We cannot stay here. I intend to write to Ashara to send a carriage or wagon or something of the sort. We do not have the horses to get to Starfall safely, and if I go into labour on the road with naught but horses, all is lost for both myself and the child. This way, there may be some way to get there safely,” Lyanna explained, already reaching for quill and paper. “But I need to know if it is viable. After all, we rode here on horses and I do not know the area well.” Ser Gerold stared at her a moment before bowing his head.

“It took us a week of hard travel to get here. It may take us up to three weeks’ if we take into account the wagon,” he said, with a grimace. “And between here and there, if we get into trouble, it will be difficult to find help. I would recommend telling Ashara to see her opinion of asking the Blackmont’s for help. They have a rocky history with the Martells and may be more open to helping us than House Manwoody and we could catch a boat downriver to Starfall once we reach Blackmont.” Lyanna nodded, already penning the letter and praying that her gods would hear her prayers despite the absence of a godswood here. If they were kind or gracious or had a single ounce of pity left for once they had forsaken so much of, they would give her the time for this. Six weeks. Six weeks to make this work.

She hoped she had enough time.

* * *

The gates of Blackmont were a welcome sight, and Lyanna near groaned when she saw them. Everything ached, the babe was restless but thankfully, it had only been four weeks, rather than her feared six. A good thing too- she could tell it would not be long. Perhaps even within the next day or so. Thankfully, Ashara had written that the Blackmonts, while not necessarily welcoming, would be accommodating enough to house them the night and send them on to Starfall by boat on the morrow. And only for the children- their goodwill did not fall too much on her. Lyanna didn’t complain. It had been so long since the gods had given her any kind of break, that she was merely thankful for this small boon.

The journey had been hard, for her and the children. Aegon fussed and made sure everyone knew of his discomfort and Rhaenys had cried upon hearing they would not be visiting her uncles. Then complained that she was tired all over again, obviously comfortable enough with them now to let them know. Or at least, at enough ease to know they would not hurt her for complaining. Lyanna had done her best, but mothering was hard, and she was so new at it and so far along in her own pregnancy that she had simply let Wylla care for the princess and prince after the first couple of days. She helped out as best she could, but Wylla insisted she sleep as much as she could- they couldn’t risk Lyanna overexerting herself and causing the new prince or princess to be born even earlier. It was not safe to do so on the road. But this night would be bliss compared to this journey and even Jaime Lannister was giving a sigh of relief, riding the horse Lyanna had ridden here. She wondered if he knew he was riding a northern stallion that he had spent a good few days complaining about.

From Arthur’s grin and Oz’s quiet sniggers, probably not.

Lyanna gave her own sigh of relief as she lowered herself into the bath prepared for her, not even bothered by the tiny rooms given to her. No doubt meant to be a slight but Lyanna would have taken a barn over another day on the wagon- supposedly the only one available to get to the Tower the quickest. She had also ensured to leave a letter in plain sight for Ned. Ashara had informed them that it was indeed Ned riding for her due to the ‘ _new King’s grave state_ ’. Lyanna wondered if it was too much to pray that Robert would die. It might make things easier, but she knew it was too long a time for him to have died. No doubt, the great brute was recovering and would be crowing for her hand in marriage.

Well, he would have a sorry surprise when she did meet him again. Like hell was she sparing him from the wolfs-blood anymore.

They set out early the next morning, she carrying Aegon and Arthur Rhaenys, both still asleep, and alighted the boat even before they had broken their fast. They ate on the way downriver. It was then that they had to thank the gods all the more that the journey would take no longer than half a day- not an hour even after they left was Lyanna wracked by the beginnings of the birthing pains. She gasped at the strength of them from time to time and allowed Wylla to take Aegon on the last hour of their journey when the pain caused her to double over. Ser Gerold had to carry her off the boat, shouting for a maester all the while, men already scrambling out of his way.

Lyanna did not remember much of the birthing other than great and agonising pain. It was only once it was all done and over with, two days later when she finally awoke, that she learnt the gods had given her as much of a blessing as they could. Had they been without a maester, then she would surely have died and mayhap even the babe she was told. He had been born feet first and near in danger of the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck- not only could he have strangled to death, but she would have bled to death even if he had survived without anyone around who knew about these things. Arthur’s face had been the palest he had ever seen it and Lyanna could do nothing more than take the tiny babe into her arms with a wobbly smile.

“What will you name him?” Arthur asked, watching her nurse him even in arms that were still slightly weak. Lyanna may have needed the assistance of a wet-nurse from time to time but she was determined to provide for her little son, now that Rhaegar was unable to. Especially since now there would be no fleeing anywhere until Ned arrived. The maester had put his foot down about that. She looked down at the small head of dark curls and eyes such a dark indigo one might mistake them for black if they didn’t look hard enough.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I know Rhaegar wanted a Visenya.” She stopped and gave a short laugh. “Seems My sweet goodsister was right- he really ought to have chosen someone with sisters if he wanted a girl.” Arthur laughed with her, but it was cracked, and she could still see the fear behind his eyes, at how close it had almost been. So she did what she had always done when her brothers were being idiots- thumped him on the arm with her free hand and grinned.

“He loved you too, you know,” Arthur said, after protesting and rubbing his arm with a pout. “I have no doubt he would love this little one too, no matter his sex.” Lyanna sighed and kissed her son’s head, just as Rhaenys entered.

“Mam Lya?” she asked quietly, eyes wide. Lyanna stared right back- it was the first time the little girl had referred to her as such.

“Yes, sweetling?” she asked, bewildered. Rhaenys tiptoes in and up to the edge of the bed.

“Can I see?” she asked shyly, gazing up at her. Lyanna smiled at her and gently lowered her arms and shuffling over to make room for the little girl to clamber on the bed. She stared, entranced, at the babe and then up at Lyanna with eyes only a shade or two lighter than her new half-brother’s. “What’s his name?” Lyanna sighed, still unsure but knowing she had to decide. That was the second time she had been asked for a name. She had discussed names for a boy with Elia- perhaps one of her picks?

“Your mother liked Jaehaerys,” Lyanna mused out loud and Rhaenys looked up at her startled, silently questioning. “What do you think? Little Jae? Or Jon for his northern roots?” That last she directed at Arthur with a wink. Rhaenys giggled and then, startling Lyanna, snuggled up next to her and stroked the baby’s cheek.

“Jae,” she said firmly. “If mama liked it I do too. It’s better than Egg too,” She added the last part with a cheeky grin and Lyanna laughed with her.

“Yes, it is a little less silly, isn’t it?” she giggled, marvelling at the trust this little girl had placed in her. Not even three days ago she had been complaining about wanting to be back with her mother, no matter that they had all been too scared to tell her the truth. Now, she was here and smiling at her. And then, just like that, her smile fell, and she hugged Lyanna once more.

“Don’t leave too,” she whispered into her midsection. Lyanna glanced at Arthur, who’s dark expression told her all she needed to know. _Dark wings, dark words_ her father’s voice echoed.

“Never,” Lyanna vowed to the little girl. They were hers now and she would not let Elia down. Not like Rhaegar had, nor like her own brothers’.

* * *

The arrival of Lord Eddard Stark to Starfall would have been comical if Lyanna were not terrified of Ned’s reaction. She had been sat on one of the balcony’s overlooking the sea, taking tea with Rhaenys and watched over by Oz and Ser Jaime, little Jae’s crib set next to them and Aegon sat in her lap. They were attempting to give him some mushed fruits, laughing at the different faces he made when trying each one- his funniest being the one’s he didn’t like- and covered in food when the page informed them of her brother’s arrival. There was no time to change before Ned had charged up the stairs and into the room, stopping dead at the sight of her. Lyanna supposed that she had probably looked less elegant before, but not by much.

“Ned,” she said as Rhaenys hid behind her skirts, alarmed by the entrance of the stranger. Aegon spat out a mouthful of mushed pears in disgust as his only recognition of the newcomer. Lyanna almost giggled at her brother’s expression when the glob landed on his shoe. “I hear you have all of this to look forward to,” she said lightly, to hide her fear.

“I, err, yes…” Ned said, bewildered. It was then he spotted the crib. “Lya…”

“Your nephew, Jae,” she confirmed, leaning over to rock the crib slowly as he stirred. “Although, I sometimes call him Jon just to confuse Arthur.”

“I heard that!” was the echo from the door and Oz bit back a grin. Jaime looked just as bewildered as Ned at his fellow Kingsguard’s actions- no doubt it had been more formal under the Targaryens and in King’s Landing. Lyanna had no such scruples and had regularly dumped Egg in his arms when she needed to tend to Jae or Rhaenys. Considering he the Kingsguard with nothing to do, he was the one most readily available to her.

“I take it you found my letter,” Lyanna said, offering Ned a seat which her brother took with weak knees. He was still dirty from his travels. “And Howland your very welcome to join us,” she continued, seeing the little crannogman peering in through the doors. He smiled back at her and wandered over, leaning over the crib.

“A beautiful little boy,” he praised. “May I?” She nodded, and, with a little help, Howland had Jae in his arms, already besotted. “He looks just like you.” Lyanna snorted.

“Oh please,” she said. “It’s the curls that deceive you. Tell it true, Howland. He looks like a little Rhaegar if he had been born in the north.” Ned made an odd noise and then suddenly collapsed forward in his chair, head in hands.

“Oh gods, what do I tell Robert?” he moaned towards the table. “He wants them…!” He didn’t need to finish that sentence, even without the sob that made it through his teeth. “All this death! And for what?” His eyes were near desolate when he raised his head and Lyanna swallowed the guilt and met them.

“So the children will live,” she said firmly. “I’ll deal with Robert Ned. Just because he’s an idiot that can’t read the signs when a lady wants nothing to do with him, doesn’t mean you should blame yourself. We’re all responsible for this grand old mess.” And she admitted it, as she had a thousand times before in her head. It was not her fault Robert was bloodthirsty or Aerys mad, but she had made the decision to flee, to leave naught but a note that could easily have been lost. She would take the blame for that at the very least. Ned stared balefully at her a moment before swallowing and nodding. He then turned and almost shyly looked at the baby and the pair of violet eyes staring at him from around the edge of her chair.

“Can an uncle meet his nephews?” Ned asked quietly. “And niece?” Lyanna grinned at him, happy for that quick and easy acceptance. He always had been, for her. Ned could hold grudges, but he held family high and his secrets higher, and in that moment, she loved him all the more for it.

“Of course,” she said, letting Howland hand Jae over to his new uncle. “Little Jaehaerys,” she murmured. “And this is Aegon and Rhaenys.” She gave Rhaenys a gentle push further into sight. The girl didn’t let go of her death grip of her skirts but let herself be guided forwards and become more visible. “Rhaenys, this is my brother, Ned. He won’t ever hurt you, I promise.”

“You fought for Robert,” Rhaenys whispered, almost silent. Ned glanced up at her from where he had been staring at Jae, nestled awkwardly in his arms, and gave her a sorrowful look.

“I did,” Ned confirmed. “For my brother and father who were slain, not for your parent’s deaths.” Rhaenys glanced up at her and Lyanna gave her a reassuring smile. She turned back.

“You won’t hurt Jae?” she half demanded. Ned smiled at her.

“Never.” Rhaenys nodded and then sat back in her chair, turning to look at Howland.

“Who are you?”

“Howland Reed,” Howland replied to the slightly rude question, eyes bright with laughter.

“You’re very short,” Rhaenys said solemnly. This time Howland did laugh and even Ned managed a smile at the sweet scene before them.

“I am a crannogman, little Princess. I’m afraid we are all a little short,” he laughed. Rhaenys opened her mouth in a small ‘o’ and then immediately peppered him with questions. Lyanna and Ned shared amused glances. And thanked the gods that Rhaenys was so forgiving at this age.

* * *

Meeting Robert was something of a strange and odd experience. He was dressed richly, lions prowling around him and already deep into his cups when he spotted their arrival. Rhaenys had a death grip on her hand, while she balanced Aegon on her hip. She had wanted to hold Jae, her own little boy, but knew that it would be folly to show anything other than love for the newly orphaned children. And she would not allow any more blood to be spilt in her name. So instead, Ned was holding him, only a step behind her, the rest of the Kingsguard flanking them with Arthur as close as he could get on her right. It should have been Ser Gerold really, but he had acquiesced to his brother in arms’ request.

“Lyanna!” Robert roared, bounding up from his throne much to the distaste of the blonde lion who had been sat to his left. She stared at Lyanna with a barely disguised disgust, face so similar to Jaime’s that she could only be his twin, Cersei.

“Hello Robert,” she said calmly, squeezing Rhaenys hand back. _As cold as ice_ she whispered to herself mentally.

“It is Your Grace now,” was the cold response from behind Robert, the blonde bitch coming to join them.

“Nonsense woman! My betrothed may call me as she likes!” Robert exclaimed, attempting to give her a kiss. Lyanna leaned away, sidestepping deftly to avoid him.

“Betrothed no longer, Your Grace,” she said. _Cold as ice_. “My father sent you a missive did he not? Our betrothal was called off.”

“A dirty trick by the dragons!” Robert stated, frowning.

“No, the truth,” Lyanna said firmly, eyes hard. Robert glanced down, looking at the children in her arms and frowning himself.

“Are you… are you protecting these _dragonspawn_?” Robert spat, suddenly furious. Ned drew in a breath behind her and the Kingsguard around her shuffled ever closer, hands on weapons.

“Considering you have just murdered my husband and allowed your soon-to-be goodfather to have my goodsister horrifically killed, yes,” Lyanna spat right back, as angry now as she had been when Ned had told her what had become of poor Elia. Robert reeled backwards as if she had physically struck him. “Why would I not, when you have brought such dishonour to yourself and the realm?” _As cold as ice, cold as ice_ she frantically reminded herself, shoving back the fear that rose at the sight of Robert’s fury. “Why would I want a husband who would spend his time with whores over his own beloved betrothed and wife?”

“You married him?” Robert growled, suddenly no longer listening. “You let him touch you!” Lyanna was glad he was nowhere near that legendary Warhammer- they would likely be dead by now if he was. “To defile what is mine!” Lyanna let go of Rhaenys’ hand long enough to slap with all of her strength. It was enough to send him stumbling back a number of paces.

“Yours?” she hissed, incensed, using her anger to hide her fear. “ _Yours_?! I am not yours! I am not property for you to lord over others! And I am certainly not southern belle waiting for her precious knight to come save her from a tower! Yes, I married him and lay with him. He was my husband and I loved him!” She had to blink away tears at the thought, pulling Rhaenys closer to her. “Rhaegar never treated me like his property, like a trophy. So yes, I protect his children! Mine and Elia’s and by the gods if you so much as lay a hand on them, you will find your reign a short one, Your Grace!” she spat, cutting through the dead silence that had fallen the moment she dared strike the king. Even Cersei had taken a step back, her father behind her looking uncertain now. She drew back as Robert continued to stare, struck stupid by the fact that not only had a woman dare strike him, that it had come from his ‘poor, delicate winter rose’. “I make that a vow,” she whispered into the silence and then turned that gaze to the lords Tywin Lannister, Petyr Baelish, and Varys who were all staring openly at her with varying degrees of astonishment. “A vow to anyone who would even dare consider their deaths, noble or not.”

She turned on her heel then, striding out as fast as she could before the true terror could catch with her in what she had done. She kept walking, even as the whispers rose behind her, the sudden shouts of anger she was leaving in her wake and calls for Clegane’s head. Even as the king’s wails began. “Lyanna!” he screamed, attempting to follow, despite Arryn’s quick response to try and stop him. “Lyanna, wait! LYANNA!”

She did stop when the doors closed, and they reached the main courtyard of Maegor’s holdfast, doubling over and gasping, the fright catching up with her. She knelt and gathered Rhaenys up in her arms, clutching her and Aegon tightly and then gesturing for Ned to give her Jae, bringing him in to join them. Ned wrapped his arms around all of them as Arthur, Oz, Ser Gerold and Jaime stood around. She could see the slight tremors running through the teens body through her own tears and nudged Ned who seemed to get what she meant, dragging him in too. When she finally felt calm once more, she wiped away the tears from both hers and Rhaenys’ face as best she could with her arms full of both Egg and Jae.

“I’ll send a raven to Riverrun,” Ned murmured. “Will you be alright heading to Winterfell alone?”

“Yes,” Lyanna said with more confidence than she felt and then shuddered. “I have to be.” She let Arthur take Aegon, needing the comfort of her own babe for a moment, grateful for the knight’s loyalty. “Ser Jaime, you can stay if you want,” she said to the teen, who had been surreptitiously wiping away any evidence of his own fear. “Be with your sister and father.” Jaime stared at her, then at the children and finally Jae in her arms. A fierce look of determination rose on his face.

“No,” he said flatly. “I gave an oath to your… your husband, to keep his family safe. I couldn’t save Princess Elia so…” Lyanna nodded, smiling at him, then paused, turning to Ser Gerold.

“Can you go to Dragonstone? I don’t know if Rhaella will have birthed her babe yet, or if Stannis has reached them, but…”

“I will do my best, my Lady,” Ser Gerold said, bowing low.

The next morning, they took the next ship to White Harbour, the children still undecided in whether they were royalty or not. Lyanna couldn’t care less- they were alive, and she was free and that was all that mattered to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this idea popped into my head and I just had to write it. Lyanna, Rhaegar and Elia are such important characters that we never meet in the books (or show) and I wondered what would have happened if even one of them had lived. I've seen a few fics where Lyanna lives, but there she usually marries Robert- a fact I find weird considering from what we know of her she ran away with Rhaegar to get out of marriage with him. I also think that Robert would be less than forgiving of any child sired by Rhaegar, whether Lyanna begged or not. So, in this fic she just doesn't.
> 
> Why did I save Rhaenys and Aegon? Because the murder of children is awful, Aegon's death ever more particularly so, and let's be honest, with what we know of the Mountain, I don't want to even think of what he did to her prior to her actual death. From what we know of what he did to Elia, I'm happy with not knowing. I also find it pretty cold of Rhaegar to leave a fifteen, then sixteen year-old Jaime to look after not just Elia and her children, but also Rhaella, Viserys and the yet to be born Daenerys before they get sent to Dragonstone. So that's one Kingsguard for six of the royal family, three to know as yet (possible) unknown one and three on the battlefield. So, I had Rhaegar read the possible signs and get Jaime to take his family to the safest place he can at this point- with the expecting Lyanna and three best swords of the Kingsguard. So, in this timeline, Jaime has no reason to abandon his vows or oaths and, since Pycelle and Varys convince Aerys to canonically open the gates for Tywin, I'm going to say he never got round to uttering 'Burn them all'.
> 
> As for how much Lyanna can seemingly 'play the game'... I didn't intentionally write her that way. I meant to write her with a take no prisoners attitude and wondered what someone similar to the person described to us by Ned (Robert is not a reliable source) would do to us in such a situation. And I may have fudged the timelines a bit- it would probably take longer to reach the Tower of Joy than a week even on a fast horse from Starfall and even longer by any kind of vehicle to the Backmont. But I had to also factor in how long it would have taken Ned to ride from the Trident, to Storm's End, to King's Landing and then to the Tower of Joy. And realised I had a lot of time to work with, even with how slow ravens can be. And I'm also taking advantage of this and having the sack of King's Landing moved up a bit and assuming that, without Jaime in the city, Tywin would have moved a lot faster.
> 
> I may also have fudged the Blackmonts a bit but considering we only meet a couple who go with Oberyn to King's Landing canonically, and according the GRRM's own 'World of Ice and Fire' they have had a fair few run ins with the Martells, I figured they would be a little more forgiving of the occasion than the Martells were within this fic.
> 
> Anyhow, enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoyed this and look out for part 2!


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catelyn Tully arrives in Winterfell, Ser Gerold Hightower searches for the lost Prince and Princess, Oberyn Martell visits his niece and nephew and war breaks out. Twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, there is actually going to be a Part 3 to this- this part got far too long to be condensed to one part and it would go on forever if I attempted to shove it all into one chapter. It also made sense to split things up a bit more.
> 
> Enjoy!

They had been in Winterfell for a full month when Ned finally returned with his new wife and son. He had sent a raven ahead, announcing the babe’s name to be Robb and a quick note that he was at least a full moon older than Jae. Lyanna had felt guilty that the only reason Ned hadn’t been at his wife’s side for the birth was due to her but pushed it back. She had better things to be focusing on. Little Jae was growing admirably, Rhaenys was excited by all the snow and Aegon had just started to take his first steps. Lyanna had spent many hours in the yard, arms out to catch the child each and every time he toddled over on shaky feet. He seemed to have inherited Elia’s firm determination from the way he pulled himself up after each fall.

Lyanna had never met Catelyn Tully and she often wondered what her new goodsister was like. The answer she received when she finally arrived was not a pleasant one.

“What are you doing?” the harsh voice asked from behind her. Lyanna, sat in the nursery and currently nursing her little babe, glanced up in surprise as did Egg at her feet. He was very rarely away from her- it appeared he had decided to cling to the nearest thing to a mother he had.

“Excuse me?” Lyanna asked, startled at the appearance of the red-haired woman in the doorway, clutching a babe of her own to her chest.

“How dare you? What do you think you are doing in the lord’s chambers?” she near spat, blue Tully eyes narrowed and Lyanna’s wolfs-blood flared.

“Feeding my son, as befits the sister of Lord Stark and his nephews.” Arthur, who had been sat, politely looking away, in the corner had stood at Catelyn Tully’s entrance, hand resting on his sword. It was only then that she seemed to realise exactly who she had just been insulting.

“You are Lyanna?” she asked, voice now uncertain. Lyanna supposed that she didn’t dress like any lady Catelyn knew. She had come in from teaching Rhaenys to ride and was still dressed in her tunic and breeches that was more common to men. Not to mention that not a scrap of fur was to be found on the Tully woman. Lyanna wondered how cold she was and then dismissed that thought. No one insulted her children, of her body or not.

“Yes. Were you expecting some delicate flower?” she asked, near too sweetly. Arthur was suppressing laughter, she just knew from the set of his shoulders. Before it could escalate further, however, they were interrupted by Rhaenys’ arrival, with Ned.

“Egg can walk now, nuncle Ned!” she was babbling, excited to see her new uncle. She had warmed up to Ned on the journey to King’s Landing and had been asking after him constantly- Lyanna had helped her pen her first letter to him some two weeks ago which Ned had gratefully replied to. Ned was smiling down at her, allowing himself to be led by the tiny six-year old.

“Yes, I heard…” Ned answered and then seemed to sense the tension in the room. “Ah, Catelyn, this is my sister, Lyanna and her children, Rhaenys, Aegon and Jaehaerys.” It warmed her heart that there was no hesitation in his voice, no room for argument. They were family and that was it to her brother. Catelyn’s face read a different story though, horror spreading across it.

“So, the rumours are true?” she half whispered. “You mean to get us all killed by sheltering them _here_?”

“Shel- They are family,” Ned said, and to any Northman it would be enough. To this southerner, it only seemed to cause some greater terror.

“The King wants their heads! You will have him come here and kill us all for traitors?” she asked, near hysterical. Ned’s face turned thunderous and Lyanna distantly wondered if she ought to warn Catelyn to never anger her brother. His fury burnt colder than ice- Quiet Wolf he may have been, but one would be wise to never anger him. His rage was rare, but vicious when it appeared.

“I would hope,” Ned said quietly, near growling the words and allowing Rhaenys to run for cover behind Lyanna, “that as a mother yourself, you would find the murder of children abhorrent.” Catelyn glanced around the room, perhaps looking for some support that wouldn’t be coming. “If you are so concerned for your safety, you may return to Riverrun and claim no part. Mayhap I will send Robb to foster with your uncle Brynden when he is old enough.” Catelyn stepped back, as if struck, face pale. She shook her head, glancing around the room wildly once more to only find cold or frightened faces staring back at her.

“No,” she whispered. “No, don’t… don’t take Robb.” She shook her head again and fled the nursery. The moment she left, Ned near collapsed and Arthur caught him before he hit the floor, leading him over to the nearest chair.

“Oh gods,” he muttered, not unlike how he had first found her. Lyanna patted his arm awkwardly, trying to work around Jae. Rhaenys clutched at his middle, her thanks silent. Aegon merely babbled some words incoherently, his talk still limited to that of an infant’s. Lyanna hoped that he would soon begin to talk, but considering all they had been through, she wouldn’t be surprised if his development had been slowed some. At least he was able to eat food alone now, leaving more milk for Jae to be fed, unlike their travels to Winterfell.

“It was well done,” Arthur said solemnly. “She had to learn the rules of the north.” Lyanna frowned at that. Most like, Catelyn would never assimilate to the north. Unlike Arthur, or the other Kingsguard, she was firmly routed in family, in the traditions of the south. Neither Arthur or Jaime were particularly religious men and kept their prayers to themselves for the Seven and Oz would go to sit in the godswood. He had stated if Lyanna’s gods could hear her in Dorne, then the Seven could hear perfectly well in the north. This enabled them to be able to adapt, not only to the climate but also the traditions and ideals, so vastly different in the north as compared to the south. They had barely batted an eye at some of Lyanna’s more unconventional activities- considering the three of them had been stuck with her for six months they had probably just assumed her behaviour was just ingrained in all in the north. While not necessarily true, it did give them a better grasp on her culture as compared to the dainty and ladylike Catelyn.

“She’ll be looking for a Sept to pray in,” Lyanna muttered, stroking her little son’s curls. “I wish her luck in finding one.” Ned frowned and opened his mouth as if to suggest something. “Build her one Ned, and I’ll be throwing stones through the windows.” He closed his mouth after that.

“You have to give her some leeway Lya. She is a stranger here,” Ned half pleaded.

“Then she should learn how well southern ideals work here,” Lyanna said firmly. “The Lords will never accept an heir raised by southern standards.” Ned sighed and nodded, most likely agreeing with that statement. They were hardly happy with her bringing the children here, but they were children. They could learn and were barely old enough to have become so ingrained with their home culture. Lyanna wasn’t so callous as to completely abandon it- she had asked for the maester to teach the children High Valyrian and about the Seven when they were old enough, along with the Dornish traditions and sent a raven to the Martells strictly warning them that they were welcome to visit and visit _only_. But further than that was up to them. Rhaenys had also been overjoyed when Balerion was tracked down and returned to her, now semi feral and glad to attack any who came near her that were not family.

Lyanna hoped Catelyn ran into him soon.

“I know, Lya. Just… please try. For me?” he asked, begging with his eyes. Lyanna pouted, hating that he knew she couldn’t resist his pleas for honour in such a situation. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I will do my best. But only if she does the same.”

* * *

It took Gerold a further four months after Ned’s arrival to finally arrive at Winterfell, face mournful. In that time Ned had ignored her comments about the Sept and had commissioned for one to be built, much to Lyanna and a fair few other northerners’ displeasure. She had already picked out the rocks for the windows- not the expensive ones though that would be in coloured glass. She wasn’t stupid enough to waste the amount of gold they must have cost just for Ned’s wife to feel better about her place here. Their relationship was still frosty but Lyanna had conceded to simply avoid her goodsister rather than get into any further arguments. She knew that Catelyn was wary of her and Lyanna had no intentions of annoying Ned _just_ yet.

“My apologies, Your Grace,” Gerold said, kneeling and bowing his head, despite the fact that neither Lyanna nor the children were classed as royalty anymore. It was an odd situation- the four original Kingsguard still regarded themselves as such, but Robert had gathered his own seven. Tywin Lannister was still calling for his son’s return, but Jaime was adamant about staying where he was, and half the loyalist Houses were in uproar over the stripping of royal titles from children that Robert had yet to remove from the line of succession. Lyanna had heard that he hadn’t even married yet, further destabilising his rule. “I could not find the other Targaryen children.” Lyanna felt her heart jump into her throat.

“Rhaella?” she asked. Gerold shook his head.

“Dead. I found Stannis burying her body and giving funeral rites. He said she was dead before he arrived- died in childbirth.” Lyanna noted that Gerold didn’t sound like he disbelieved Stannis and she nodded. Unlike Robert, Stannis still had some honour. He wouldn’t have been giving Rhaella any kind of funeral and grave if he hadn’t.

“And the children?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I heard that Ser Willem Darry ran off with them in the night and that Rhaella crowned Viserys before she passed on. I travelled to Braavos in the hopes of finding any word of him, to bring them to safety, but there was nothing,” Gerold said, eyes sad as he looked up. “I’m sorry that there was nothing else I could do.” Lyanna nodded and put one hand on Gerold’s shoulder.

“It’s fine, Gerold. You did all you could.” She smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder and bidding him rise. “Come, see how the children are doing.”

They found Rhaenys and Aegon in the nursery, Rhaenys sat next to Ned with Jae carefully balanced in her lap. Jae, now five months old, merely looked confused, trying to grab his sister’s dark curls to inspect. Aegon was stretched up to stare at Robb, who looked monumentally unhappy at having been left out. Catelyn was nowhere in sight, and Lyanna wondered where she had gotten to. It was unusual for her to be far from Robb. They all looked up at the entrance of the newcomer, although Rhaenys lit up at Gerold’s return.

“Ser Gerold, look! Aegon walks now! And Jae can sit up all on his own!” she exclaimed, eyes bright. Gerold had paused in the doorway, eyes misty and Lyanna guessed that he was slightly overwhelmed how at home the children looked.

“Y-Yes, Princess. Such wonderful news,” he murmured, watching as Egg toddled up to him, demanding to be picked up.

“Up!” he shouted between baby-speak. Lyanna giggled as the little boy laughed as he was swept up into the man’s arms. “Up!”

“That’s all Egg ever asks for,” Lyanna laughed, ticking the toddler’s sides. Aegon laughed and Gerold gave her a teary-eyed smile. “Up and to shout his displeasure at anything he _doesn’t_ want.”

“No!” Aegon stated proudly, as if to prove just that. Rhaenys giggled at her brother’s ridiculousness before giving a quiet cry at having lost the battle to keep her hair out of Jae’s chubby fists.

“Jae!” she whined, attempting to extricate her hair from his fist but Jae had a strong grip, and once he had hold of it, he very rarely willingly let go. Robb sniffled in the crib and Lyanna took pity on him, picking him up before a full tantrum could occur.

“And how have you been left out of all of this, little fish?” she asked as Robb wrapped tiny hands as well as he could round her shoulders, snuggling in close and happier now that some attention was going his way.

“He’s not a fish Lya,” Ned stated. She guessed he would have had hold of Robb, had he not been concentrating on Rhaenys not dropping his nephew- something that Lyanna knew they had to keep an eye out for. It had almost happened once in one of the six-year-olds’ more exuberant moments.

“Looks like one,” she commented, curling red hair round the tip of her fingers and Ned puffed out a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes. It was her nickname for her little nephew, who appeared to have inherited some of Brandon’s wolfs-blood even with his Tully colouring. It didn’t stop her from making fun of it though.

“He looks perfectly wolfish to me,” Gerold stated calmly, peering at him over her shoulder. “A little Ned if ever I saw one.” Ned preened at that, happy that for once someone saw the Stark in his son before the Tully red. Lyanna just grinned, winking at the knight who gave one of his infamous laughs, shaking his head. He almost appeared to be muttering that they were all as ridiculous as each other.

* * *

Oberyn Martell visited for Aegon’s fifth name day. Lyanna was ready, armed as always with her wit and three different contingency plans in case she needed to remove the Dornish prince from the north, or at the very least, her sight. Rhaenys seemed very excited to see her uncle for the first time since their mother’s death, although from Oberyn’s face, he was not so enthusiastic as to the location.

“You could not have kept them somewhere a little warmer?” was the first question out of his mouth the moment he dismounted his horse. He hadn’t brought his infamous paramour or any other member of his family- no one except a few family guards, all looking as cold as each other.

“The children don’t seem to mind,” Lyanna shot back. “A cup of mulled wine, my Lord? It’ll warm you up.” She held the cup up, along with the plate of bread and salt she held. Oberyn raised an eyebrow but accepted all the same- no doubt aware of the importance of guest right here in the north. That, or he trusted her enough to not have poisoned the wine. It _had_ crossed her mind from some of the rumours that Gerold had picked up on his continuous occasional travels in search of Viserys and Daenerys, but she had decided that that was far too southern a tradition. Better to face him in the sparring yard than poison a member of her goodsister’s family of her husband’s side.

“Uncle Oberyn, you came!” Rhaenys cried, bouncing down the steps now that Oberyn had accepted guest right. Lyanna had made sure that she understood that he had to accept it before she would let him anywhere near them. Rhaenys had seemed unhappy but accepted her reasons- after all, she was too young to know how Dorne had reacted to the news of her half-brother’s birth.

“Of course, I did,” Oberyn said, stooping down to pick the ten-year-old up and spinning her around. Lyanna has rather impressed by that- Rhaenys was getting a little too big for even Arthur to contemplate attempting that too often. “You are growing as beautiful as your mother!” Rhaenys beamed at the praise and Lyanna felt two small presences clinging to her legs. She didn’t need to look down to know it was Egg and Jae- ever since Jae and Robb had startled to toddle around after Egg, the three had become near inseparable, much to Catelyn Stark’s disgust. Lyanna leaned down to brush through Aegon’s hair gently before pushing him forwards.

“Aegon, this is your Uncle Oberyn,” she said gently. Oberyn glanced back towards her, eyes immediately focusing in on his nephew. Jae hid further behind her- he was always the quietest of the three and Aegon was being unusually quiet, considering how outgoing he had become, most likely making his brother all the more nervous of this stranger.

“I thought Uncle Ned was our uncle,” Aegon said with a frown.

“And Oberyn is also your Uncle,” Lyanna quickly explained as Oberyn’s face twitched. “He’s your mother’s brother.” Aegon blinked and then looked back to Oberyn, walking forwards a couple of paces.

“You’re tall,” was the five-year-old’s observation and Lyanna almost smacked her palm on her forehead. It was sweet, really, but probably not what Oberyn had been expecting. Not to mention the unintended insult of being near excluded by his own nephew but trying to explain to a five-year-old that someone he had never met before in his memory was family was a little difficult. Not to mention to whole mess that was his family and mother’s marriage.

It didn’t escape her notice, or amusement, that it was a similar sentiment that Rhaenys had shot at Howland, the first time she met a stranger if in a different direction.

“Yes,” Oberyn said slowly, clearly unsure what he was meant to say to that. Aegon quickly lost interest as Rhaenys seemed to grasp enough of the situation to grab her uncle’s attention once more and Aegon returned to Jae, pulling him out from behind Lyanna. Her son glanced up at her, alarm clear in the three-nearly-four-year olds dark eyes.

“You’ll be fine,” Lyanna murmured as he was dragged up to Oberyn, even if she didn’t feel all that confident about him being so close to a Martell.

“Uncle Oberyn, this is Jae, our brother,” Egg said, gripping his brother’s hand tightly. “You haven’t said hello to him yet!” Oberyn paused, body stiff as he looked down his aquiline nose at Jae who was staring just as intensely back. There was a long moment of silence as everyone waited with bated breath to see what the Red Viper of Dorne would do. Oberyn then knelt, bringing himself to eye level to both boys.

“Jaehaerys,” Oberyn breathed. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Rhaenys.” Lyanna swallowed but didn’t regret letting Rhaenys write to her family in Dorne. She would still be encouraging Aegon to do the same, no matter how well this visit went although she hoped it would go well. It wouldn’t do for Dorne to be more insulted than they already were. How Robert had been keeping the realm together for so long escaped Lyanna, although she had no doubt it was due to the efforts of poor old Jon Arryn, Ned and their uneasy truce with Doran Martell. No one wanted another war so soon, and so the three had been strong-arming the rest of the population into holding back, but Lyanna could sense war on the horizon. With no clear heir to the throne, the future was nothing but disaster.

“Hello,” Jae murmured quietly, eyes flicking to the floor shyly. Jae was not particularly shy, but rather uncomfortable in the presence of strangers. There were so few at Winterfell that it was a rare worry for Lyanna watching her baby interact with other people. Of the three, Jae had definitely inherited Rhaegar’s odd moroseness. She guessed that he would spend many an hour brooding in his future- most like not as much as he would like if Aegon had anything to do with it though. Oberyn studied him a moment, tilting his head up to meet Jae’s eyes properly. Lyanna wasn’t sure what he found in her son’s face, but he did tilt his head to the side, considering something a moment before standing.

“I believe we have much to talk about,” he said seriously, dark eyes flashing. She nodded and gestured him inside and simultaneously shooing the children away. Oz and Jaime would look after them, she had no doubt, while Gerold was away and Arthur off helping Rodrick with the training of the Winterfell guards. There had been a noticeable increase in them since the children had come to stay.

Lyanna led him to Ned’s solar, where they were joined by her brother and Catelyn. Their brood was already growing and most likely would soon outnumber her own. They already had another toddler for Robb to run after: a pretty little girl Catelyn had named Sansa, a perfect little lady in every way and by the slight swell of her goodsister’s belly, there would soon be another. Lyanna was just hoping for the Stark colours to come through on them one- it would be rather odd to see so many gingers in such a predominantly dark-haired house. It might even put some of the rumours flying around Winterfell to rest about Catelyn being unable to produce a _proper_ northern heir. As if the colour of the children’s hair had anything to do with it.

“So, you raise them with the Bastard Prince?” was the first question Oberyn asked and Lyanna immediately felt her hands curl into fists, resisting the urge to instantly lash out. She was no longer a girl of sixteen, naïve and desperate to get out of an unwanted marriage- now she was a woman of twenty and mother of three, no matter who their parents were.

“I raise them with their brother, yes,” Lyanna stated. “And I would advise against using that moniker here. Us northerners just don’t know when to control ourselves.” Oberyn gave her a grin and she hated every minute of it. Damn these southerners and their silly southern games. Children were children and she would give them all the time she could to stay that way.

“Yes, your perfect little heir to the throne. And who protects Aegon then?” Oberyn’s eyes were flinty and Lyanna scowled, almost nearly but not quite slapping him.

“Are you suggesting I would hurt Egg?” she asked, insulted.

“You usurped your way into Elia’s place-“ Oberyn started and Lyanna couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She slapped him as hard as she had Robert- most likely harder since she had grown stronger these last years training with Arthur when she had the time and riding her horses with the children, to the point the some liked to mutter in corners they thought she couldn’t hear about Jae practically having been born in the saddle.

“I did no such thing. Elia was still a Princess of the Realm last I checked. Rhaegar married her by the Faith, and myself by the Old Gods. The Targaryens have a history of polygamy and Baelor never remembered to include our Gods when he outlawed it.” Oberyn blinked at her in surprise. “Or did you think that I forced her out of the marriage?”

“Dorne has not known what to think. Annulment made much more sense,” Oberyn sniffed, hand rubbing his cheek that still carried a red mark, but she could see respect in his eyes. He hadn’t expected her to strike out, but also to have respected his sister. She scoffed at his statement, rolling her eyes.

“Half the realm thinks that, but it doesn’t make it true. Rhaegar annulled nothing- doing so would have been political suicide. Besides, he had his Prince that was Promised. Why would he strip him of his right to the Iron Throne?” Lyanna asked.

“Prince that was Promised?” Ned asked, looking confused. Lyanna shrugged.

“Something that Rhaegar used to talk about. I was never very interested in his prophecies and neither was Elia. We were more concerned about the children.” A single dark eyebrow rose at that, another mark of respect for her and her relationship with Elia. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one to the room that had had to listen to Rhaegar’s ramblings about prophecy.

“Yes, I remember. He used to think it was himself, and then Aegon. He wanted-“

“A Visenya I know. Should have picked a family that is known for daughters,” Lyanna interrupted, shrugging and seating herself in the nearest available chair. If Oberyn wanted to stand, that was fine by her, but she had been on her feet all day running after toddlers. A mother knows to take her rest when she can.

Oberyn actually barked a laugh at that, joining her in sitting and finally looking satisfied in his journey. Ned was still frowning at their conversation but Lyanna guessed that had more to do with the truth of Rhaegar than anything else. What interaction Ned had had with the Dragon Prince was minimal at best.

“It is remarkable how similar and yet different they look. If you had hidden Rhaenys and Aegon away elsewhere, no one would have thought him any more than a Stark,” Oberyn commented, taking a swig from the wine cup he still had from the courtyard.

“And abandon my children?” Lyanna frowned and Oberyn twitched as she rolled her eyes at him. “Elia’s, mine, we both married the same man and I’ve looked after them these past four summers. Aegon knows no other mother, even if he knows he’s not of my body and they all call each other siblings. It would have been cruel to split them up.” She didn’t mention that Ned had suggested the same thing a year into Robert’s reign when the realm looked to be about to fall apart. But Rhaenys had begged to stay, finally in a place not only stable but of safety and it hadn’t felt right to hide them away. And so, here they stayed, and many a raven flew from the south and north, the hand and Warden of the North bartering, begging and basically doing all they can to stave off the encroaching civil war. The hardest to put down had been the Lannisters- they were still circling Robert in hopes of marrying Cersei off to him. Lyanna was certain Robert was still under the delusion she would somehow run back to him. If Oberyn remembered this moment, he wisely said nothing. It seemed he realised he had caused enough trouble for one day and ought to wait until another day to stir the pot elsewhere later.

But she’d be keeping an eye out all the same.

* * *

The semi-peaceful bubble they had been living under burst with the Greyjoy Rebellion. Lyanna watched with the children as Ned rode out, Rhaenys pale and Jae holding a screaming Arya in his arms as solemn as always. As soon as the soldiers had left her daughter fled and she wasn’t the same until they rode right back through the gates, Ned still intact. It was at that point that Rhaenys, usually so poised and controlled as southern lady’s ought to be, dropped all decorum and grabbed hold of him the moment he dismounted his horse, even before his own children could tackle him. Thankfully, Ned said nothing of this, grasping her just as tightly as Robb, Sansa and Arya before greeting the new addition of Bran.

It showed just how far they had come that Rhaenys could take comfort that her family would return from war rather than merely leave to die.

Ned had returned with a new member for their odd and growing household in the form of Theon Greyjoy. For once, both Lyanna and Catelyn were in agreement- neither of them liked him very much but Lyanna would try unlike the wary and constantly disapproving Catelyn. She had promised her brother she would always try- she owed him that much after all for everything he had done for her, these past six years. That said, he had been less than impressed when she kept her promise about the Sept, right up until she had pointed out that _someone_ would have done it eventually and that it was better it come from a source he knew rather than one he didn’t. There was unrest enough in the realm, he didn’t need it in his own household. At least now that there were enough of them, and she had her perfect darling daughter Sansa to copy her, she and Catelyn could exist in their own separate bubbles that only occasionally crossed and clashed. Usually in arguments to do with Arya’s education, most of which Lyanna wilfully ignored.

Unfortunately, with Ned came Robert. He had out on a few pounds while she had been away from the capital, although the war had most likely been keeping them off as well. She had heard he had fathered more bastards, making her all the more glad she had run from the eternal oppression that marriage to him would be. She was a person, not an object and yet Robert had never come to see her any other way than some prize to be won. At least this time he didn’t try to kill her, although his amazement mixed with disgust at Rhaenys’ actions made her scowl at him even before he approached.

“Lyanna,” he said, voice soft and devoid of any emotion. An odd change considering the last time she had seen him he had been screaming for her as she walked away.

“Your Grace,” she said just as blandly. Behind her, she knew Oberyn was watching with one hand on the knife he always carried at his side. While Dorne had stayed out of the conflict, Oberyn had stayed at Winterfell for the duration of the Rebellion. Just in case. It helped that he seemed to be warming up to Jae as time went on, or maybe it had to do with the fact that her son was a natural fighter. After those first few attempts at anything musical though, Lyanna had agreed that he had inherited her lack of talent for the subject while Oberyn laughed all the while in the background. She didn’t mind- where Jae lacked in the arts he made up for in his studies, already at a level with his brother and ahead of his cousin. It wasn’t as if a second son needed musical talents anyhow and they were certainly not so appreciated here in the north.

“I see _they’re_ still here,” Robert observed, flinching away when Aegon came a little too close, as if he were infectious. The seven-year-old paused and stared a moment before carrying on, running after his brother and sister in greeting their uncle and the new family member, all clamouring for Ned’s attention and to show him what they had learnt.

“Of course. Where would you expect my children to be?” Robert flinched at her claim of all of them and turned away. If he had thought that this would be some grand meeting, where she would fall back into his arms, that dream had well and truly died. If Lyanna had been so inclined, she might have felt a scrap of pity for him. As it was, she knew that he still hungered for the children’s deaths and it was hardly her fault he had done nothing to stabilise the realms without murder. He went to greet Catelyn and Lyanna breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Mam?” a quiet voice asked and Lyanna turned to look down at Jae. “Are you alright?” She smiled at him, leaning down to pick him up. At six summers, Jon was starting to get too heavy for her to hold for too long, but in that moment, she could have held him for the next hundred years.

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she murmured, kissing his cheek. He snuggled in and she could see Robert watching out of the corner of his eye, face somewhere between angry and heartbroken. She knew even then that the peace would not last long. She could never have imagined how short it might have been though.

* * *

Lyanna would never be certain what occurred between Ned and Robert that night but whatever happened, resulted in Robert ordering his men to leave in the middle of the night after the pair could be heard shouting and roaring at each other as the candles burned low. Catelyn had clutched baby Bran to her chest and for once, Lyanna had dragged her goodsister to the children’s quarters, not caring for the strange glances the servants sent their way. Now was not the time for petty arguments between the north and the south. War was about to break out, far greater than any minor Rebellion by a house of ex-pirates.

“I told you, you shouldn’t have brought them here,” Catelyn said, when the little ones were asleep and Rhaenys nodding off on Lyanna’s shoulder. Jae and Aegon still shared a room and Robb would often sneak in to join them- not for a lack of rooms, but rather that separating them into different rooms had been near useless as they would always end up in each other’s rooms, so reducing it to two places rather than half of Winterfell had just been easier. On this night though, all of the Stark children were here and the room rather crowded, but no one was complaining. Not when the fear was so palpable that you could almost taste it.

“We got six years of peace,” Lyanna murmured, kissing her daughter’s head as she finally succumbed to sleep. “I thank the Gods for that every day, the Old and the New.” Catelyn blinked at that but Lyanna said no more. Tonight, was not a night for grudges. Three hours later and Robert was gone, the bubble was popped, and Ned collapsed in with them, face ashen.

“Robert is returning to the capital,” was all he said. There was nothing more to be said.

* * *

Despite the fact that Robert had all but declared war on them that night, it took him near two more years to do anything about it. The problem being that blood had been spilt enough already and he was lacking in allies. While Robert had the Crownlands and Stormlands, neither Dorne nor the Reach would pledge their forced to another conflict so soon and Arryn refused to give any of the Vale’s forces for anymore ‘foolish wars’ as he had put it in a letter to Ned one stormy night. He gained the Westerlands fairly easily though, finally marrying the lioness who had been slavering after him these past six years. But now he was at a stalemate until he could persuade them all to war, which gave them all the time they needed.

Ned’s first port of call was rebuilding Moat Cailin. It was by far the best outpost they had and even in the sorry state it was in was still a formidable fortress. Rebuilt with the help of the crannogmen and the Manderlys of White Harbour and the Neck became impenetrable. Balon Greyjoy had been bribed into helping since his only heir was currently residing within Winterfell, a move that had had Ned looking queasy but Lyanna had finally managed to drag out of him. She knew it left a nasty taste in his mouth to do something so underhanded but if they were to survive this, they would need every avenue they had and easy access to Dorne.

Oberyn had ridden out the next morning, a raven already sent flying to his brother, but not for Dorne. Taking Gerold with him, the two had begun to search in earnest for the last missing Targaryens and Ned had written a short missive asking the Night’s Watch to take the children as a complete last resort. Both Lyanna and Oberyn had rebelled against the thought until Ned had pointed out that while Rhaenys could be married off to some minor house, the two boys were both still liable candidates and heirs to the Iron Throne. Taking the black might be the only way they kept their heads if Robert got past the Neck and as far as Winterfell. It had made Lyanna sick with worry and for many a night she could be found sleeping on the floor of her sons’ room, having woken from a night terror where her sons had been sent off to freeze and die at the Wall.

The Riverlands had opted to stay neutral. There was little that could be done to make it defensible and while Catelyn might have married the Starks, they could hardly show their support and hope to keep their people alive at the same time while bordering lands with the Lannisters. It had driven Catelyn wild with fury that her House had seemingly abandoned her, right up until her uncle had arrived to pledge his support for her family.

“It can’t be helped, Cat,” he had tried to explain. “If your father supports you, his people die but if he supports Robert then he will be fighting his family. He’s doing the best by you by doing nothing.” It had done nothing to appease Catelyn but Lyanna could see the sense in it. Hoster Tully was in an impossible situation and by declaring for neither side, he couldn’t be called a traitor when it was all over. This way he didn’t need to fight his king, or his family and she could respect that.

Three months before the fighting truly began, Gerold returned, followed by two silver-haired children of seven and six and ten. Both were dressed in rags and were dirty, but the teen was clutching tightly to a familiar tiara. Lyanna didn’t even think before sweeping the girl up into her arms- she would have included Viserys too, but he looked as if he had reached the age that he wouldn’t appreciate it. Daenerys looked startled, violet eyes wide at this stranger greeting her so warmly where she had been so used to being thrown out for years.

“Ser Willem died some years ago,” Gerold explained after Lyanna had sent them for baths and food. “They were begging on the streets of Lys with nothing left but Rhaella’s crown. I managed to get to them before the boy sold it. I don’t think his sanity would have lasted much longer if he had.” Lyanna swallowed at that, watching the teen wolf down his food, clearly too hungry to care that he didn’t look anything like a prince. Aegon was watching him with wide eyes while Jae had somehow coaxed the quiet Daenerys into conversation with him and Rhaenys. She smiled at the sight. It was just like Jae to include those who felt like outsiders.

Lyanna wasn’t sure what to make of Viserys. If Gerold was to be believed, his mental state was anything but stable and she didn’t want to push him any further towards madness than the harsh reality of his life had forced onto him. But he had also been calling himself the Rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms and that would be a problem with the rest of his family here. She wouldn’t have him harmed but there were plenty of places to send him if he needed somewhere… quiet to calm down. Perhaps Dorne might even be amenable to helping. She got her answer soon enough however.

“Are you our aunt and uncle?” Aegon asked when Viserys had finally finished his meal. The prince glanced up, staring back into the earnest eyes of a nine-year-old and Lyanna wondered if Egg was aware of the tension that suddenly filled the room. Rhaenys was clutching Jae and Dany’s hands under the table, waiting for the response. “Mam said you were lost.”

“We were fleeing the Usurper’s assassins,” Viserys sneered. “Unlike you, we never bowed to the Usurper’s Dog.”

“We didn’t bow,” Rhaenys said, voice firm even if Lyanna could see her shaking under the table. She hid her smile- there was the Winter Snake if ever she saw her, as some of the northerners had come to call the princess. “Mam Lya and Uncle Ned took us in when the… Usurper wanted our heads. Unlike the Lannisters, Starks do not bay for blood. Do you?” Daenerys was glancing between her niece and brother, eyes wide and scared. There was a gleam in Viserys’ eyes at that, his hands tightening on his cutlery.

“I only want what is mine by right. And I will not let anyone, not even my brother’s whore, get in my way,” he spat. Lyanna scowled and smacked him upside the head for that.

“Enough of that talk. If you are uncomfortable with the Starks, the Martells are happy to take you,” she stated coldly. Not necessarily true- Doran would get a rather nasty surprise when the prince arrived- but there would be nowhere else to send him. No northerner would take him in without potentially killing him within a week and anywhere between here and the capital was swarming with armies of different factions. Dorne was the only other place he would be able to go and even then, there was a chance he would never make it. “I should warn you though. Your goodbrother is rather fond of my _all_ my children.” Not her, but she could be content with that- she and Oberyn had learnt how to cohabitate without the arguments that sprung up between her and Catelyn and Lyanna had never been stupid enough to return to Dorne to meet Doran Martell. They may not have an issue with Jae, now that it was clear Aegon was still heir apparent, but she knew they would always be unhappy with her actions. In honesty, she wished herself that she had acted better, that Rhaegar had explained properly what exactly they were getting into or at least attempted some mitigation of the approaching disaster, but that was all in the past now. The ink was dry on that piece of history and they would just have to live with the consequences. She had been doing her best fix the mess she had created as best she could.

Viserys scowled and would have said more but at that moment Arthur entered, once more wearing the full white armour of the Kingsguard, face grim.

“Robert Baratheon’s forces are now moving. Cersei Lannister has given him a male heir.” And with those words, the war truly broke out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, positives first! Thank you to everyone you favourited/followed/reviewed (good and bad) and I'm glad that so many enjoyed this little AU I came up with! I hope that this second part was as enjoyable as the first!
> 
> Now, to answer some common questions/misconceoptions about this fic that have been appearing.
> 
> 1) Dorne and Elia being 'glad' about Rhaegar running off with Lyanna. I am taking from book canon in this, meaning that poor passed over show!Elia has no relevance here. There has been no annulment, no removing of Aegon from the line of succession (a particularly abhorrent action by show!Rhaegar and an idiotic one at that) and there has been no widespread rumours so far about Rhaegar 'raping and murdering' Lyanna. She's still alive to refute those claims. Dorne is still pissed in this fic and I have touched on it here in the chapter above. I don't think they will ever be happy with Lyanna and her actions (addressed in point 2- don't worry we'll get there), and I think she would respect that now that she's older. However, this is the end of a long, bloody year-long war where everyone has lost family/friends and, considering the fact that not long before this people were suffering under the unrest caused by Maekar I, Aegon V and the Tragedy of Summerhall and Aerys' madness, most likely everyone would want some peace. Even in the books currently, people are now sick and tired of war- hence why the outright fighting is dwindling down at the moment and people are making rash/desperate decisions trying to stop fighting.
> 
> 2) Lyanna is stupid and a whore for running off with Rhaegar. First off, Lyanna is sixteen. Secondly, she's running from a man that sees her as an object, even during the Rebellion- something that Ned comments on frequently when thinking about Robert and Lyanna together. The way Robert talks about her, to me, suggests that he never 'loved' her at all, but rather the idea of her. And so, when she lives in this fic, he gets a rather nasty shock that the woman he thought was just as besotted about him, as he was with her, wants nothing to do with him. Following on from that, I would also like to point out that none of the Starks are massively politically minded- why should Lyanna be? Why would a sixteen year old who has grown up knowing only that she has to marry a man she has never met (and already has at least two bastards at this point- Mya Stone, plus one other and even perhaps Gendry at the end of the war since he's a little older than Jon- book!Robert has sixteen bastards by the time he dies) and is essentially offered a way out of it by a man who seems the better option not take it? Personally, I see Lyanna as a desperate and naïve young woman who has been a little manipulated into this situation (Rhaegar wanted a third child that he was never going to get from Elia as she couldn't have any more children after Aegon, and makes chivalrous gestures towards a young and impressionable Lyanna who has just finished her run as the Knight of the Laughing Tree) and makes decisions according to those points. She's young and scared and very unaware of the consequences her actions can have. Comparatively, you could argue that Helen of Troy from the Iliad is far worse- at least Lyanna wasn't already married to Robert (the King of Sparta comparison here, who also sees his wife as an object) before running off with her 'Paris' (also, Rhaegar had no older brother to attempt to bail him out and is way more liable since, not only is he about a decade older than Lyanna, but has literally been growing up in the political hell that was Aerys' court. Hell, it's even theorised within the book cannon that Rhaegar was already organising a coup at Harrenhal and that the only reason Aerys turned up was because he caught wind of the plot!)
> 
> 3) Petyr Baelish's presence in King's Landing. That was a mistake on my part- maths is not my strong point! My apologies, but since this is an AU, let's just say that I've aged him up a bit (when Robert's Rebellion breaks out I think he's about 14 or 15) and he came to court in his late teens to work for the Master of Coin. Hope that helps xx
> 
> Part 3 is going to be dealing with the fallout of war, Viserys' madness- not so prevalent as it is in the books as the character has not been through as much crap as his book counterpart- and how this finally plays out. There won't be anything on the White Walkers and War for the Dawn- this is all set before they start to turn up and it won't be all sunshine and roses for all characters ;)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea popped into my head and I just had to write it. Lyanna, Rhaegar and Elia are such important characters that we never meet in the books (or show) and I wondered what would have happened if even one of them had lived. I've seen a few fics where Lyanna lives, but there she usually marries Robert- a fact I find weird considering from what we know of her she ran away with Rhaegar to get out of marriage with him. I also think that Robert would be less than forgiving of any child sired by Rhaegar, whether Lyanna begged or not. So, in this fic she just doesn't.
> 
>  
> 
> Why did I save Rhaenys and Aegon? Because the murder of children is awful, Aegon's death ever more particularly so, and let's be honest, with what we know of the Mountain, I don't want to even think of what he did to her prior to her actual death. From what we know of what he did to Elia, I'm happy with not knowing. I also find it pretty cold of Rhaegar to leave a fifteen, then sixteen year-old Jaime to look after not just Elia and her children, but also Rhaella, Viserys and the yet to be born Daenerys before they get sent to Dragonstone. So that's one Kingsguard for six of the royal family, three to know as yet (possible) unknown one and three on the battlefield. So, I had Rhaegar read the possible signs and get Jaime to take his family to the safest place he can at this point- with the expecting Lyanna and three best swords of the Kingsguard. So, in this timeline, Jaime has no reason to abandon his vows or oaths and, since Pycelle and Varys convince Aerys to canonically open the gates for Tywin, I'm going to say he never got round to uttering 'Burn them all'.
> 
> As for how much Lyanna can seemingly 'play the game'... I didn't intentionally write her that way. I meant to write her with a take no prisoners attitude and wondered what someone similar to the person described to us by Ned (Robert is not a reliable source) would do to us in such a situation. And I may have fudged the timelines a bit- it would probably take longer to reach the Tower of Joy than a week even on a fast horse from Starfall and even longer by any kind of vehicle to the Backmont. But I had to also factor in how long it would have taken Ned to ride from the Trident, to Storm's End, to King's Landing and then to the Tower of Joy. And realised I had a lot of time to work with, even with how slow ravens can be. And I'm also taking advantage of this and having the sack of King's Landing moved up a bit and assuming that, without Jaime in the city, Tywin would have moved a lot faster.
> 
> I may also have fudged the Blackmonts a bit but considering we only meet a couple who go with Oberyn to King's Landing canonically, and according the GRRM's own 'World of Ice and Fire' they have had a fair few run ins with the Martells, I figured they would be a little more forgiving of the occasion than the Martells were within this fic.
> 
> Anyhow, enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoyed this and look out for part 2!


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